Before you choose a flooring
Flooring are a very important part of a decor as they influence the style of a room or area. When possible, it would be worth choosing the flooring first and work around it to create the full scheme of the room. The visual aspect given by the flooring determines the overall aspect of the room. Flooring can be used to give a sense of proportion to a room making it feel more or less spacious, rich, simple etc.
Along with the visual aspect, other important factors are to be taken into consideration when choosing a flooring, including the maintenance (is it easy to clean), the safety (can it become slippery, is the rug going to be a tripping hazard etc.), the warm/cold effect under the feet, the noise (will it convey the noise etc.)
Flooring and its constituent material is the one to take the most punishment and it is therefore important to choose the material keeping in mind the sort of the usage and the wear and tear it will receive, to give it a chance to age gracefully.
A good flooring depends on a sound sub-floor, and the sub-floor should always be in its best condition before installing any new flooring.
There are two main groups of flooring, those called soft and natural flooring and the hard and resilient flooring.
Soft and natural flooring
As its names states, it is soft to walk on and is usually laid on top of an underlay. Carpets and rugs are in this category as well as sisal, coirs, hemp, rush and sea grass mattings also sometimes called natural floorings. Paper and plastic that appear to be woven are also part of the soft floorings.
Environmental impact
Where does it come from and where does it go are the questions to answer when considering the environmental impact of a carpet.
Carpets are mostly made out of non natural materials that won’t decompose easily at the end of their relatively short life. Most carpets are made with non renewable petroleum products and can’t be recycled.
The carpet industry was confronted when people began to complain of multiple chemical sensitivities or sick building syndromes. Carpet chemical treatment plus the constituents of the carpets were thought to be out gassing. Some green labels have been implemented in order to assure the low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emission.
Even when selecting a 100% wool carpet, the carpets are still chemically treated and natural backing are still not very common.
When choosing to go green inside the home, it is better to go for a 100% natural type. Source carpet locally made to avoid transportation and pesticides that are mandated with imports. Wool is stain-repellent, fire-resistant, and very durable without any treatment. Always check the composition of the backing of the carpet, and select natural backings.
Jute coir and plant materials are not as long lasting as wool and stain more easily but are fully biodegradable.
Next to all-natural carpets with no additives, all-wool carpets with minimal chemical treatment is a second best choice. Avoid synthetic dyes. Conventional carpet dyes are chemicals, the color choices for an eco-friendly home will be limited to nature’s palette of subtle hues. Look for the Green Label plus certification and avoid additional stain repellents or mothproofings.
Another good choice is carpet tiles made of natural fibers. If a stain or damage arise, it is easy to change only one tile instead of the whole carpet.
When possible, it is better to use a rug instead of a wall to wall carpet, as it uses less material and produces less waste also. Rugs can easily be cleaned and changed or moved around to create a brand new atmosphere in the room.
New products are now manufactured with the view of being completely re-used and re-cycled. It is now possible to find in the market some carpet that are Cradle to Cradle certified. The manufacturer when selling a carpet commit to take it back at the end of its use. The carpet will then be dismantled and be re-used as "raw" material to fabric a brand new carpet. This avoids to send the carpet to landfill and provides new raw material for the manufacturer.
My next post will talk about hard and resistant flooring.
Written by E.Lemoine
Flooring are a very important part of a decor as they influence the style of a room or area. When possible, it would be worth choosing the flooring first and work around it to create the full scheme of the room. The visual aspect given by the flooring determines the overall aspect of the room. Flooring can be used to give a sense of proportion to a room making it feel more or less spacious, rich, simple etc.
Along with the visual aspect, other important factors are to be taken into consideration when choosing a flooring, including the maintenance (is it easy to clean), the safety (can it become slippery, is the rug going to be a tripping hazard etc.), the warm/cold effect under the feet, the noise (will it convey the noise etc.)
Flooring and its constituent material is the one to take the most punishment and it is therefore important to choose the material keeping in mind the sort of the usage and the wear and tear it will receive, to give it a chance to age gracefully.
A good flooring depends on a sound sub-floor, and the sub-floor should always be in its best condition before installing any new flooring.
There are two main groups of flooring, those called soft and natural flooring and the hard and resilient flooring.
Soft and natural flooring
As its names states, it is soft to walk on and is usually laid on top of an underlay. Carpets and rugs are in this category as well as sisal, coirs, hemp, rush and sea grass mattings also sometimes called natural floorings. Paper and plastic that appear to be woven are also part of the soft floorings.
Environmental impact
Where does it come from and where does it go are the questions to answer when considering the environmental impact of a carpet.
Carpets are mostly made out of non natural materials that won’t decompose easily at the end of their relatively short life. Most carpets are made with non renewable petroleum products and can’t be recycled.
The carpet industry was confronted when people began to complain of multiple chemical sensitivities or sick building syndromes. Carpet chemical treatment plus the constituents of the carpets were thought to be out gassing. Some green labels have been implemented in order to assure the low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emission.
Even when selecting a 100% wool carpet, the carpets are still chemically treated and natural backing are still not very common.
When choosing to go green inside the home, it is better to go for a 100% natural type. Source carpet locally made to avoid transportation and pesticides that are mandated with imports. Wool is stain-repellent, fire-resistant, and very durable without any treatment. Always check the composition of the backing of the carpet, and select natural backings.
Jute coir and plant materials are not as long lasting as wool and stain more easily but are fully biodegradable.
Next to all-natural carpets with no additives, all-wool carpets with minimal chemical treatment is a second best choice. Avoid synthetic dyes. Conventional carpet dyes are chemicals, the color choices for an eco-friendly home will be limited to nature’s palette of subtle hues. Look for the Green Label plus certification and avoid additional stain repellents or mothproofings.
Another good choice is carpet tiles made of natural fibers. If a stain or damage arise, it is easy to change only one tile instead of the whole carpet.
When possible, it is better to use a rug instead of a wall to wall carpet, as it uses less material and produces less waste also. Rugs can easily be cleaned and changed or moved around to create a brand new atmosphere in the room.
New products are now manufactured with the view of being completely re-used and re-cycled. It is now possible to find in the market some carpet that are Cradle to Cradle certified. The manufacturer when selling a carpet commit to take it back at the end of its use. The carpet will then be dismantled and be re-used as "raw" material to fabric a brand new carpet. This avoids to send the carpet to landfill and provides new raw material for the manufacturer.
My next post will talk about hard and resistant flooring.
Written by E.Lemoine
Very interesting indeed. Made me think about some aspects I hadn't considered. I m looking forward to reading the next blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you : )